Scooby and the Vampire
by honeyjadecladdagh
Summary: When a string of murders occur at Kavanagh Castle in Ireland, the Scooby Doo gang embark on their freakiest mystery yet. Warning: some content may be too scary for younger readers. You have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

It was like any other Sunday night in the apartment shared by the Mystery Inc. gang. Velma was doing some work on her laptop, Daphne was reading a magazine, Fred was watching TV and Shaggy was in his room with Scooby ordering tonight's dinner.

It had been a year since the gang had graduated from high school and they had all moved into an apartment together which, although adequate, was nothing posh. But then, with the money they earned, they couldn't exactly afford to live like royalty. Since their graduation, there had been a severe shortage of mysteries, so they'd had to give up their lives of detective work and find some alternative means of occupation. Fred did odd jobs in construction, Daphne was training as a hairdresser, Velma worked in a library and Shaggy was a shelf stacker at a local grocery shop.

They were off work on Sunday and, being too tired to cook after their long week, it was agreed that Sunday night would be takeaway night. Shaggy, as the biggest food-lover of the group, was appointed the task of ordering all takeaway meals. Tonight he had decided to order from Pizza Paradise, their favourite pizzeria. However, on this particular night, the ordering was proving more challenging than usual, a fact indicated by the screams coming from Shaggy's room.

"WELL THEN, DON'T ADVERTISE THE CHOICE OF SELECTING YOUR OWN FREAKING TOPPINGS IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO FACILITATE THAT OPTION!"

A loud _thud_ followed this outburst, suggesting that Shaggy had thrown the phone on the ground in frustration. Meanwhile, everyone else gave a collective sigh. Clearly the ordering process hadn't gone to plan. Barely a moment later, Shaggy came storming out of his room followed by Scooby, both looking equally outraged.

"Like, we sure as heck won't be ordering from that place again!" Shaggy declared, sitting down on the couch next to Fred.

"Reah! Never again!" Scooby agreed as he sat down on the floor by Shaggy's feet.

Velma rolled her eyes and concentrated on the screen in front of her. Sometimes she wondered if it would be worth the time and trouble consulting a psychiatrist to look into Shaggy's serious food issues. Several times, she had actually taken the liberty of researching psychiatric specialists in their area but, unfortunately, they were all way too expensive for her budget.

As Velma continued to examine the screen of her laptop, a news article suddenly caught her eye. Upon reading it, she gasped. "Guys, you might want to see this."

Immediately, everyone rose to their feet and went to heed Velma's call, wondering what could be so interesting. Had she finally found a new mystery in need of solving?

"What is it, Velma?" Fred asked as the gang crowded around Velma's chair. Velma pointed to an article from some online newspaper she had opened up on her laptop screen entitled **_Munster Murder Mystery_**. Beneath this headline, the following article read:

 _County Cork in the Irish province of Munster is famous for its enchanting scenery and its calm and pleasant atmosphere. Or, at least, it was until now. In the past few months, a string of mysterious murders have occurred in and around the grounds of Kavanagh Castle, once a home to some of the county's most distinguished aristocratic families, now a hotel for visiting tourists eager to experience some old-world charm._

Shaggy gulped, all hints of his previous anger now gone. "Zoinks! Like, that is freaky, man!"

"Do they know who's responsible for the murders?" Fred asked.

Velma frowned at him. "It's called a murder mystery for a reason, Fred."

"Wait a second" Daphne said. "Kavanagh Castle? I know that place. My cousin Ruth owns it. She converted it into a hotel a while back."

Everyone stared at her.

"You have a cousin in Ireland who owns her own castle?" Shaggy asked.

Daphne nodded. "Yeah. She's from my mother's side of the family. We haven't seen each other since we were kids."

Shaggy was surprised. "Like, I didn't know you had relatives in Ireland, Daphne."

"Actually, Shaggy, lots of Americans have Irish heritage" Velma told him. "You see, during the 1840s, a terrible famine struck Ireland which was caused by potato blight which ravaged many potato crops. This was disastrous because the majority of the population was dependent on these crops. Things got so bad that many families emigrated to the United States in hopes of a better life."

"My mother's family was one of them" Daphne pointed out.

"Over the years," Velma continued, "the children of the Irish immigrants married into American families which is why so many Americans today have Irish ancestry."

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Fred began jumping up and down in excitement. "How can you guys discuss history at a time like this? Don't you realise what this means?! After so long of waiting, we finally have a new mystery on our hands!"

As this information registered in Velma and Daphne's heads, both girls squealed and clapped their hands in delight.

"Oh goody! At last!" Velma cried.

"I'll get to see my cousin!" Daphne squeaked excitedly.

"Oh no!" Shaggy said. "No, no, NO! Uh-uh! Not happening! I have had enough mysteries to last me a lifetime!"

"Reah! Re too!" Scooby agreed.

"Like, you guys are NOT roping me or Scoob into this one! No way, no how!"

 **A week later…**

Shaggy slouched in his plane seat with his arms folded and a scowl plastered across his face. Scooby sat on the floor next to him, his head drooping like a wilted daisy. Shaggy looked down at his canine pal and sighed. "Like, how do we get ourselves into these things, Scoob?"

"Ri don't know, Raggy" the dog replied, giving a soft whine.

Meanwhile, Fred, Velma and Daphne sat behind them, exchanging quiet high-fives and beaming triumphantly.

"Scooby Snacks" Velma whispered. "Works every time."


	2. Chapter 2

**Please excuse my poor attempt at replicating the Irish accent in this chapter. I don't mean to cause offence.**

 **Chapter 2**

The gang stood in the airport, clutching their suitcases and staring at the endless, bustling swarms of people that crammed the building's interior. They had just arrived in Cork airport and, after an eternity of waiting to get off the plane and collecting their luggage, they were now faced with the challenge of locating Daphne's cousin who had agreed to meet them there, an action that was easier said than done.

"So, err, how exactly are we going to find her?" Fred asked Daphne.

There had to be at least a million people in the airport, all rushing around like panicked mice, desperate to catch their planes on time. The place was filled with the hum of lively conversation accompanied by the wheels of suitcases rolling across the marble floor and pattering of feet. A large group of people were waiting by the door through which the gang had entered, waiting to greet whoever it was they were waiting for.

Daphne sighed and shook her head hopelessly. "I have no idea."

Shaggy gave Velma a light nudge. "Like, Velma, you're the genius here. How do we find Daphne's cousin?"

Velma narrowed her eyes. "While I'm flattered by your use of the word genius, unfortunately I never learnt how to identify complete strangers in a crowded space."

As they continued to survey the long line of people, Shaggy suddenly caught a glimpse of pink and the words **_Daphne Blake_**. At the same time, a hand shot up from the back and a voice shouted "Daphne! Daphne, over here!"

Shaggy tugged at Daphne's sleeve and pointed at the waving hand. "Uh, Daph, could that be her?"

Daphne followed Shaggy's gaze and shrugged. "Only one way to find out. Come on, guys."

Picking up their suitcases, the gang followed Daphne through the crowd of people until they came face to face with a girl holding a large pink sign with Daphne's name written on it in glittery letters and decorated in flowers. The girl looked like she was in her early twenties. She was tall and supple with pale skin, dark brown hair that was tied in a pony tail and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a white tank top, a black skirt and a denim jacket. As soon as Daphne saw the girl, her face went as red as her hair.

"You little whatsit!" Daphne said as she ran into the girl's open arms, the sign having been discarded on the floor.

The girl giggled and a dimpled smile crossed her face as she and Daphne hugged each other tightly. "Well, that's a fine how-do-ye-do!" she laughed as they both parted. "Ah, Daphne, its great te see ye again!"

"You too. It's been so long."

"Yeah. Ten years at least. Ye've changed."

"Well, yeah, I had to. My old clothes don't fit anymore."

The two girls laughed heartily then Daphne gasped. "Oh, where are my manners?" She turned to the rest of the gang and said "Guys, this is my cousin, Ruth. Ruth, these are my friends, Fred, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby."

Ruth smiled widely and stepped forward to shake their hands (and paw). "Nice te meet ye."

"You too" Fred said politely.

"Like, I thought people in Ireland greeted each other by saying top of the morning" said Shaggy.

Ruth chuckled at his naivety. "Sorry te disappoint ye but not in this day and age we don't. Anyway, come on, let's get ye guys out of here before we all get trampled te death. There's a café somewhere near here. We can go there and talk."

After another eternity of pushing through the sea of people, and almost losing their temper multiple times, they finally made it out to the small café near the entrance to the airport. Ruth bought coffee for them all and water for Scooby and they all sat around their table, chattering and sipping.

"So, Ruth, Daphne tells us you own a castle here in Cork" Velma said.

Ruth nodded. "That's right. I inherited it from me grandparents a few months ago. Thought it would make a great place for tourists te stay. Ye'll love it. So, what brings ye here te Ireland?"

"Well, we'd heard that there've been some strange murders going on around your castle" Fred explained.

As soon as Fred mentioned the word "murder", Ruth's face became notably less cheerful than when she had greeted them. She now looked nervous and they noticed her face had gone slightly paler, if that was even possible. Whatever had been going on must have really spooked her. Ruth fidgeted uncomfortably. "Ah, yes. Well…err…yeah, we have been having a bit of….um, trouble, lately."

"That's why we're here" Daphne told her. "We've had some experience with solving mysteries and we thought we might be able to help."

"Well, that would be a big help" Ruth replied. "Although, I doubt ye'll find the culprit. Even the police weren't able te find any leads on the killer. But I guess ye can try. Anyway, let's not talk of solving mysteries just yet. After all, ye've only just got here."

"Like, I'm starting to think I'm gonna like her, Scoob" Shaggy whispered.

Scooby nodded. "Reah. Re too!"

"I'll tell ye what," Ruth said, "how about ye try sampling some of the local ale while yer here? There's this really good pub called Paddy's Pints just a few miles away and they do a great karaoke session."

Ruth was about to continue but Fred held up his hand dismissively. "Ruth, as much as we'd love to, I'm afraid we're going to have to decline. We're all nineteen, you see, so we're underage."

To their surprise, Ruth shook her head. "No, yer not. Here in Ireland, ye have te be eighteen or over te drink alcohol."

Shaggy raised an eyebrow. "So, like, we're allowed to drink here?"

Ruth nodded in response. Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy exchanged glances. It was clear from their expressions that they were all thinking the same thing. After a long silence, Daphne looked at her cousin. "Where did you say this pub was?"


	3. Chapter 3

Shaggy was being chased around his school's running track by his teachers, all wearing clown masks and wielding chainsaws. Their evil laughter combined with the loud whirring of the chainsaw blades echoed in his ears as he ran for all he was worth, his heart battering his ribs as he did so. Suddenly, he tripped and fell into a pit full of water. He thrashed his arms around wildly in search of dry land but when he looked up, he discovered that the pit was several feet below ground. Then, one by one, hundreds of creatures made of vegetables emerged from the lake, grabbed hold of Shaggy and dragged him down into water. Shaggy kicked and wriggled violently, desperate to get away, but his attempts were futile as he…

Shaggy gasped as he jolted himself awake and sat up in bed. God, what a crazy dream that had been. As he slowly drifted back into consciousness, Shaggy realised there was an excruciating pain in his head and the room was spinning. He closed his eyes and gently rubbed his temples for several minutes until he felt safe to open his eyes again. This time, the room had maintained the usual, non-rotating state that all rooms were meant to be. It took a while for Shaggy to realise the room wasn't his own. When this fact registered in his brain, he asked himself what anybody in such a situation would ask: "Where the heck am I?"

"Raggy! You're alive!"

The voice startled Shaggy and he looked around to see who and where it had come from. He didn't have to search for long. There was an open door in front of him that led out into a hall and in the doorway stood Scooby and Ruth. Scooby immediately leapt onto the bed and licked Shaggy's face excitedly, making Ruth giggle a little as she closed the door behind her and sat down in a nearby chair.

"So, ye've finally woken up, then?" Ruth asked.

Shaggy nodded. "Like, what happened last night? Where am I?"

"Well, first of all, yer in a hotel room. Secondly, last night at the pub, ye went a bit mad on the alcohol."

"How much did I drink?"

Ruth tilted her head to the side. "Well, ye drank several pints of beer, followed by about five shots of whiskey, plus a cocktail, then a few shooters, and... ye know, it would just be easier te list what ye DIDN'T drink. Oh, and then, te round it all off, ye decided te join in the with the karaoke session."

Shaggy shook his head in confusion. "But, like, I can't sing."

Scooby nodded mournfully. "Reah, re know."

"I have te say though, I thought _The Drunken Sailor_ was a very fitting choice. Although, yer version of _Tell Me Ma_ may have permanently ruined the song for everyone who listened te it."

"But what happened after that?" Shaggy persisted.

"Well, after we left the pub, we checked inte this hotel for the night and when ye got in here, ye ran straight te the bathroom where ye vomited on and off for an hour before ye collapsed inte bed and passed out."

Shaggy groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Oh God."

Scooby patted his back sympathetically while Ruth sat down on the bed beside him and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Don't worry, Shaggy. Alcohol can make ye do all sorts of crazy stuff. Just take it easy next time."

"Like, I'm never drinking alcohol again" Shaggy vowed.

Ruth chuckled. "That's what they all say."

Shaggy rubbed his forehead, then looked back up at his companions. "Where are the others?"

"Downstairs. In the hotel's restaurant." Ruth told him.

"I'll go and see 'em" Shaggy said as he threw back the covers and staggered out of bed.

Scooby gave him an uncertain look. "Uh, Raggy..."

"Like, relax Scoob. I'll be fine" Shaggy assured him as he stumbled towards the door. He was about to open it when Ruth stopped him.

"Err, Shaggy, ye might wanna..."

"Ruth, seriously, I'm ok" Shaggy interrupted.

He opened the door and walked out into the hall. As he began to walk, an elderly woman appeared from around the corner and the moment she saw Shaggy, she let out an ear-piercing scream and fainted. Shaggy frowned in confusion. What was her problem? Also, why was it so cold? Shaggy looked down at himself and when he did, his face went as red as a tomato. He quickly rushed back into his room and slammed the door behind him. He glared at Ruth who was still sitting on the bed. "You might have told me I was naked!"

An hour later, the gang was in Ruth's car, driving away from the hotel. The atmosphere in the car was very uneasy and every so often, everyone (apart from Scooby and Ruth) shot a glare in Shaggy's direction.

They had been forced to pack their suitcases and make a quick exit shortly after Shaggy's run-in with the lady in the hallway. Apparently, the old dear who'd had the misfortune of seeing Shaggy with no clothes on had a heart condition and had to be careful that nothing surprised her as it would trigger a heart attack. After the lady had been carted off to hospital, Shaggy was forced to leave, lest he cause any more trouble. No amount of apologies from Shaggy could quench the anger of his friends. So now here they were, driving along a narrow country lane to Ruth's castle.

"Nice going, Shaggy" Velma muttered.

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Shaggy" Fred added.

"Like, I said I'm sorry, didn't I?" Shaggy said weakly.

"Sorry doesn't make it any better" Velma replied.

"Like, how was I supposed to know that old lady had a heart condition?"

"You didn't have to KNOW anything!" Daphne snapped. "All you had to do was put some clothes on and this all could have been avoided!"

Ruth piped up from the front. "Guys, what's done is done. Taking yer anger out on Shaggy isn't going te change what happened. So, for the love of God, give Shaggy a break."

Everyone was silent for the rest of the ride after that.

Eventually, after a long journey across the countryside of Cork, the car pulled up outside a towering stone structure. Ruth smiled over her shoulder at the gang. "Well, here we are."

As Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby climbed out of the car, they gazed in awe at the castle that stood before them. The place was nothing like they had expected. Since it had been the site of several murders, they had assumed it would have a very creepy appearance. They had envisioned it as something out of a horror movie. But this castle was quite beautiful.

The castle was built out of white stone and was taller than the few trees that surrounded it. There were several towers, each roof tiled with dark grey bricks. The front walls were covered with vines of red roses, creating an arch over the entrance: a large wooden gate. It looked like the kind of place a princess would live. The only unsettling feature was a graveyard that sat to the left of the castle but, in the daylight, even that didn't seem so eerie.

"Jeepers!" Daphne exclaimed. "It's beautiful!"

Ruth smiled. "It is, isn't it? Me grandparents were very proud of this place and worked hard te keep it in good condition. And there's plenty more te see. Just wait till ye get inside."


	4. Chapter 4

The inside of the castle was just as impressive as the outside. The style of decoration was very Tudor. The walls were decorated half and half with the top being painted white and the bottom part composed of auburn wood panelling and were hung with elaborate tapestries and paintings. Each room was complete with an iron chandelier suspended from the ceiling on a chain. The windows were crystal-clear and covered by red moreen curtains. Every mantelpiece was made of grey marble and Turkish rugs covered the floor. It was a place fit for royalty.

Since the castle was such a big place, and not very many people were staying there, finding rooms for the gang was no challenge. Daphne and Velma found themselves a room overlooking the graveyard and Fred, Shaggy and Scooby got a room directly adjacent to theirs. Both rooms were cosy little places with king-sized beds draped in scarlet linen sheets, solid oak wardrobes and satin armchairs.

Once the gang had unpacked and sorted their luggage, Ruth gave them a tour of the castle and introduced them to the few guests that were staying there. They eventually came to a small courtyard outside the castle with a large area of grass, small fir trees, bushes and flower beds. There were also a few benches set out where the guests could sit. As they entered the courtyard, Shaggy noticed a man resting on his knees, tending the shrubbery. He was quite a large man, even while kneeling down, with a red ruddy face and a great bushy ginger beard that almost reached his chest. Despite the warm weather, the man was wearing a thick black overcoat and an old battered hat that had seen better days.

Shaggy gave Ruth a light nudge. "Uh, Ruth, like, who's that?"

Ruth followed his line of vision. "Oh, that's Seamus, the gardener."

"Like, he looks pretty big for a gardener" Shaggy said uncertainly.

Ruth nodded in agreement. "I know. When I first met him, I thought he played basketball for the Boston Celtics in his spare time." She then turned to the others. "Why don't we sit down for a while? Me feet are killing me."

The rest of the gang agreed and parked themselves on the nearest bench. By this time, it was early evening and the sun was just beginning to set. From where the group was sitting, it was possible to clearly see the pale blue sky turning to a mixture of pink, yellow and lilac as the golden sun slowly disappeared behind the walls before them and on this pleasant summer evening, the sight was picture perfect. Unfortunately, as is always the case in such situations as these, someone had to go and ruin things for everyone.

"So, Ruth," Velma said, breaking the silence, "about these murders. When exactly did they happen?"

Shaggy frowned at Velma, as did their fellow mystery-solvers."Like, did ya have to bring that up NOW?!"

Ruth fidgeted in her seat, the cheerfulness from her face gone. "Err... I don't really like talking about it but...if ye must know." She took a deep breath. "Well, they began a few months after people started coming te stay here at the castle. Guests would disappear in the night and be found the next morning lying in the graveyard, covered in their own blood. The police were contacted, of course, but they were never able te find any leads on who the culprit might be. The strangest thing, though, was that the victim was always a young woman. It was never a man."

Everyone stared, wide-eyed, at Ruth as she finished her story. "Do _you_ have any idea who or what might have done this?" Fred asked.

Ruth paused for a second. "Err, well...there is one possible suspect. Although, the very thought isn't exactly..." she paused, searching for the right word. "Realistic."

Daphne raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, this castle is rumoured te be haunted by a man who used te live here. Now, I'm not saying it's true, but there is a possibility that it could be..."

"'Tis the ghost of Emmet O'Reilly."

Everyone jumped as Ruth was interrupted by a gruff voice. They all looked up to see Seamus the gardener standing in front of them, his tree-trunk arms hanging stiffly at his sides. Up close, Seamus looked even bigger and more intimidating. Shaggy and Scooby began to quiver.

"Wh-who?" Velma stammered.

"Emmet O'Reilly" Seamus repeated. "He was a man who worked in this castle in the early 1800s before he met with a tragic end."

* * *

 _Emmet O'Reilly was the son of a farmer who lived some distance away from Kavanagh castle. His family was extremely poor, barely able to afford to keep a roof over their heads, let alone feed and clothe themselves and with a grasping landlord always demanding taxes, life for them was miserable. Emmet was employed at the castle to work as a servant for Lord Kavanagh so he could help his family pay their bills._

 _Lord Kavanagh had two children: a daughter named Sophie and a son named Andrew. The Kavanaghs were one of the richest and most distinguished aristocratic families in Cork. However, they soon fell upon hard times when Andrew took up gambling and lost a great deal of their money. Lord Kavanagh knew they would be ruined if something wasn't done soon. He decided that the only way to prevent financial ruin was to find Sophie a rich husband. But Sophie wasn't interested in marrying for financial gain. Why should she have to suffer because of her brother's mistakes? Besides, she had already promised her heart to someone else. And that someone was Emmet O'Reilly._

 _From the moment he first laid eyes on her, Emmet thought Sophie was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He loved her with all his heart and the feeling was mutual. They were completely besotted with each other and every night they would meet in secret at the graveyard near the castle where they would stay until morning. But it was not to last. Lord Kavanagh soon announced that he had found a husband for his daughter. The chosen suitor was Lord Beaumont, an English nobleman who was at least twice Sophie's age. The girl was horrified by the news, for Lord Beaumont was a horrid man who had a terrible reputation for grooming young women. Sophie begged her father not to make her go through with the marriage but his mind was already made up._

 _The night before the wedding, Emmet asked Sophie to meet him in the graveyard that night. Emmet knew of Lord Beaumont's scandalous deeds and could not bear to lose the woman he loved to such a man. Together, they made plans to run away to Scotland where nobody would find them. It sounded like a foolproof plan and probably would have succeeded if they had not been overheard. Lord Beaumont, who had arrived the previous day for the impending nuptials, had woken in the middle of the night to the sound of muffled footsteps passing his bedroom door. Curious, he peered through the keyhole, only to catch sight of Sophie creeping down the hall. Suspecting something was amiss, Beaumont followed her all the way out to the graveyard where he overheard Emmet plotting to run away with Sophie. Furious at Emmet for daring to take what he believed to be his, Beaumont began plotting a scheme of his own to foil the young lover's plans and the next night, he was ready._

 _At the celebration on the night of the wedding, Sophie waited until she thought no-one was looking, and quietly slipped away. But Beaumont saw her leave and followed her. Alone in an empty hallway, Beaumont seized the girl, dragged her into a nearby room and tied her up and gagged her. "Do not be alarmed, my love" Beaumont said to the frightened girl. "I am doing this because I love you." Then he kissed her and left the room._

 _In the graveyard, Emmet was waiting for Sophie and was beginning to grow worried. She was late and Emmet wondered what could possibly be keeping her. Then, to his surprise, Beaumont came marching through the gates to the graveyard with a pistol in his hand._

 _"Where is Sophie?" Emmet demanded. "What have you done with her?"_

 _Beaumont gave no reply but instead pointed the gun at Emmet and fired. The sound of a gunshot alerted everyone inside the castle and all ran out to the graveyard to find Beaumont standing triumphantly over the dying Emmet O'Reilly. It didn't take long for them to figure out what had happened._

 _"I did it because I had to!" Beaumont cried. "He tried to steal my wife from me! He will never come near her again!"_

 _Not a minute later, Emmet died, but not before uttering his final words: "May sudden death befall everyone who brought this about."_

* * *

"Nobody dared challenge Beaumont for his actions, for he was an extremely rich and powerful man" Seamus said. "A few days later, he returned te England with his new wife. Exactly one year after the weddin', Lord Kavanagh and his son disappeared from the castle one night, only te be found dead the next mornin'. They were both lyin' in the graveyard in the exact same place where Emmet died, both covered in bloody wounds. On that same day, Beaumont had been called te Ireland on a business matter. His carriage was travellin' along a path near a cliff overlookin' the sea when, for some reason, it suddenly skidded te the right a tumbled down inte the water where he drowned. Nobody knew how these sudden deaths came about but they suspected that the curse bestowed by Emmet O'Reilly had somethin' te do with it."

The gang stared at Seamus in amazement, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. It felt like an eternity before Daphne finally broke the silence. "W-what about Sophie? W-what happened t-to her?"

"I don't rightly know, lass" Seamus replied. "Some say she fell inte a deep depression after bein' abused by Beaumont and killed herself. Others say that when she heard her husband was dead, she took all his money and fled te Scotland where she lived the rest of her life under an assumed name."

Ruth suddenly rose from her seat, frowning. "Thank ye, Seamus, Ye've said enough. Come on, ye guys. Let's get inside. It's getting dark."

The sky had indeed grown dark in the time it had taken Seamus to tell his story. One by one, the gang rose to their feet and followed Ruth inside. None of them wanted to admit it but they were all a bit shaken up by what they had just heard. Perhaps coming here wasn't such a good idea.

Nobody was in the mood to sit up and talk and besides, it was getting late. So, they bade each other goodnight and retired to their rooms.

"Do you think the story is true?" Daphne asked Velma as they changed into their pyjamas.

Velma shook her head. "Of course not. It's just an urban legend. There's no such thing as vampires."

While everyone else slept that night, Daphne lay awake in her bed, thinking about what Velma had said. Was the story really a work of fiction? Was it just a legend made up to attract tourists? Or was there some sinister truth to it? These thoughts continued to float around Daphne's head until fatigue got the better of her and she drifted off into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Spoiler alert! This is the part where things start getting a little creepy.**

* * *

The next day dawned bright and sunny. Since they had gone to bed quite early, the gang woke up at around 8 o'clock in the morning. After a light breakfast with Ruth in the dining hall, they discussed the day's itinerary. They planned to begin their investigation into the murder mystery of Kavanagh castle by interviewing the other guests staying there to see if they could get any leads on who was behind the murder spree. After finishing their meal, the gang left the hall in search of the other guests. Ruth hadn't joined them as she said she had promised to help Seamus with the gardening that morning.

"What I don't understand," Daphne said, "is why Ruth would agree to help Seamus with _anything._ That man makes my skin crawl."

"Like, tell me about it" Shaggy muttered, shuddering.

Fred shrugged. "Oh well, we'll manage fine without her, I'm sure. Come on, guys" he said, leading them off to find the other guests.

They first spoke to a man and his wife from Dublin. They had come to Cork on a family holiday with their nineteen-year-old daughter Chloe who had gone missing a few nights ago. Apparently, they had all been asleep one night when the husband suddenly woke up to find Chloe was gone. He woke his wife and they rushed out of their room in search of their daughter. They soon found her walking out a back door that led towards the graveyard. They called out to her but she didn't answer. She seemed to be walking sort of stiffly, as if she were in a trance. She disappeared outside and the couple ran after her but by the time they caught up with their daughter it was too late. Chloe was found dead in the graveyard with no trace of the killer to be found. The only clue they had was two small puncture holes in Chloe's neck, dripping with blood.

By the time the couple had finished their story, Shaggy and Scooby were trembling so much, anyone would think they had just travelled across the Antarctic without even a jumper.

Shaggy gulped. "Uh, like, thanks for that. We'll, err, be going now." And he and Scooby made a quick dash for the door before anyone could stop them. The rest of the gang sighed, thanked the couple for their time and followed Shaggy and Scooby out of the room. To their surprise, when they went out into the hallway, Shaggy and Scooby were nowhere to be seen.

"Must've gone back to their room" Daphne said.

"Can't say I blame them. They looked pretty shaken up" said Fred. He turned to look at the girls. "I guess it's up to us now."

Velma rolled her eyes and sighed. "People these days. So unreliable!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, Shaggy was walking along an empty corridor with Scooby in tow, talking as they went.

"Y'know, Scoob, I'm starting to think we made a mistake coming here."

Scooby nodded. "Reah. Big mistake."

"I mean, I know we're experienced mystery-solvers and all, but why the heck would anyone want to stay in a castle where..." Shaggy broke off and his steps faltered as he looked around in confusion. Somehow, they had gotten themselves into an unfamiliar corridor where the walls were decorated in paintings of eerie dark landscapes. This couldn't be the way back to their room, surely.

"Uh, Scoob, does any of this look familiar to you?"

Scooby looked around him, then back at Shaggy. "Uh-uh."

"Me neither" Shaggy replied. "Like, we must've take a wrong turn. Come on, let's see if we can find a way out of here."

They were about to continue on when a noise like a very faint howl echoed throughout the corridor. They froze, paralysed by pure terror. A few seconds later there came another sound, just like the first. It took a while for them to realise just how close the noise was. It couldn't have been more than a few feet away, making it all the more unnerving.

"What the heck is that?" Shaggy whispered.

"Ri don't know" Scooby whispered back.

As he said this, a third sound, louder and longer than the first two, filled their ears. This time, it sounded more like wailing. Where could it be coming from? Somehow, Shaggy got a faint idea where and pressed his ear against the wall. Just as he expected, the sound became clearer still and was occasionally followed by, what sounded like, fragments of a mumbled conversation. The sounds were coming from inside the wall. But how could that be?

Suddenly, Shaggy's thoughts were interrupted by muffled footsteps heading straight towards him. Acting on instinct, Shaggy grabbed Scooby's collar and together they sprinted to the other side of the corridor and ducked behind a corner. Peeking out from behind their hiding space, they watched the corridor before them intently, waiting for any sign of movement. To their surprise, a section of the wall opened and Ruth's face peered out, looking around her as if checking the cost was clear. Shaggy and Scooby quickly his themselves from her vision. A moment later, they heard her footsteps echoing down the corridor, away from them.

Shaggy and Scooby heaved a sigh of relief, then looked each other in the eye. It was clear from their expressions that they were both thinking the same thing: something smelt fishy and it wasn't the kippers they'd had for breakfast.


	6. Chapter 6

"You're absolutely sure it was Ruth?" Velma asked.

It was early evening on the first day of their investigation and the gang had finally regrouped in the dining hall. They were making use of their time during dinner by discussing all that had happened since they had separated. Shaggy and Scooby had spent most of the day wandering through the castle, getting lost several times, until by some miracle they finally found the way back to their room. Ruth hadn't joined them that evening which was just as well because Shaggy had mentioned the strange wailing they'd heard and seeing Ruth mysteriously emerge from behind a wall, an occurrence which Velma, for some reason, was having trouble believing.

"I mean, are you really, really, 100 per cent certain?" asked Velma. "Because, for all you know, it could have been someone who happened to look a lot like Ruth."

Shaggy rolled his eyes. "Velm, I've never been more certain of anything. And unless Ruth has an identical twin sister we don't know about, I don't see how it could've been anyone but her."

"As far as I know, Ruth is an only child" Daphne piped up.

"There ya go!" Shaggy said triumphantly.

"But, if that was Ruth," Daphne continued, "then what was she doing there? And why did she lie to us?"

Fred held up a hand. "Daphne, please, one mystery at a time. We didn't spend the entire day interviewing people for nothing, after all."

"Oh, right. So, like, what did you guys find out?" Shaggy inquired.

"Well..." Velma consulted a small notebook she had used to take notes during the interviews, "...it seems that most, if not all of the other guests, have had at least one family member disappear from them in the night, only to be found dead in the graveyard the next morning. All of the victims were young women, just as Ruth said, and, perhaps most disturbing, they all had puncture holes in their necks."

"Rikes!" Scooby yelped. "Rhat is reaky!"

"Yeah" Shaggy agreed. "Like, it kinda sounds like the work of a vampire."

"Oh, Shaggy, that's ridiculous!" Velma retorted. "Vampires don't exist, right guys?" She looked to Daphne and Fred for support but instead of backing her up like she had hoped they would, they had taken a sudden interest in fiddling with their cutlery. "Oh, come ON, you guys!" Velma yelled, causing several heads to turn their way. Shaggy cringed and timidly begged Velma to calm down.

"It's not that I believe in vampires," Fred rushed to assure her, "but you can't deny how strange this is, with the murders and the fact that there's never any trace of the killer. Not to mention those weird marks found on the victims. It doesn't sound like something a person would do. Or, at least, no _sane_ person."

"He does have a point, Velma" said Daphne. "And remember that couple who told us about their daughter Chloe? They said they saw her walking towards the graveyard in a kind of trance. And at night-time, might I add. There's no way anyone would wake up in the middle of the night and take a walk down to a graveyard of all places without some kind of supernatural interference."

Velma remained silent. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Here were Fred and Daphne, two of the most rational people she knew, suggesting that all this was the work of something otherworldly. But it wasn't, she was sure of it. It was just some sick, dangerous person who seemed to have way too much time on their hands and the marks were most likely the work of a professional make-up artist. They had just been put on the victims to make it look scarier. That had to be it. There was no way a vampire could've done this. There was no such thing as vampires.

With a huff, Velma picked up her notebook and got up from her chair. "I'm going back to my room. See you guys later" she said, icily. The rest of the gang gazed at Velma nervously as she retreated from the dining hall.

"Like, do you think we should go after her?" Shaggy asked.

The others shook their heads silently. They had all seen Velma in this kind of mood before and the thought of confronting her when she was like this scared them. It was best to just leave her alone and hope it wouldn't take long for her to cool off.

Later that night, when Daphne got back to the room she and Velma shared, she found Velma asleep in a chair, her notebook in her lap and her chin resting on her hand. She had clearly fallen asleep over the perusal of her notes, much to Daphne's relief. She silently changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed. She spent a few minutes tossing and turning before she realised with annoyance that sleep was out of the question. Sighing, Daphne sat up and rubbed her eyes. Perhaps a little walk around the castle would make getting off to sleep easier. It was worth a try. Sliding out of bed, Daphne slipped on her dressing-gown and slippers and picked up her phone which lay on her nightstand. The brightness of the screen almost blinded her as she switched it on and she quickly turned it away from her face. Due to the absence of a torch, she would have to use her phone screen for light in order to navigate her way around the castle.

After several minutes of wandering through countless hallways and taking a number of odd twists and turns, Daphne soon found herself in a large room which appeared to be a library. This gave her an idea. Perhaps she could do a little late night research on the history of the Kavanagh family to try and dig up some clues, or at least bore herself to sleep.

Shining the light of her phone over the numerous shelves, she soon came across a book entitled **_Kavanagh Castle throughout the centuries._** Jackpot! Daphne pulled the book from the shelf, seated herself in a chair by the window and started flicking through the pages until she finally came across a passage concerning Sophie Kavanagh.

The passage read as follows:

 _Not much is known about the lives of Sophie Kavanagh and her elder brother Andrew. However, it is said that the siblings were very close. Their mother, Lady Kavanagh, had died shortly after giving birth to Sophie, leaving their father a widower. The Kavanagh children lived in luxury for most of their lives until Andrew's gambling habits bought about the threat of destitution. Desperate to avoid ruin and poverty, Lord Kavanagh decided that the only way to save his fortune was by marrying off Sophie, who was only sixteen at the time, to an acquaintance of his: the rich and much older Lord Beaumont, as was the norm for aristocratic families at the time. It is thought that Sophie and Lord Beaumont's marriage was an unhappy one and that there may have even been some instances of abuse. The marriage lasted a mere twelve months before Lord Beaumont suddenly and strangely died while on a trip to..._

Daphne shut the book and sighed. This was the same old story she had heard from Seamus. Family fortune threatened by son's gambling habits, daughter forced to marry a man she hates, blah, blah. Disappointed, she returned the book to its shelf and spent a short while staring out of the window she had been sitting beside. The sky was as black as coal and adorned with countless silver stars, like a curtain of diamonds. The full moon hung in the centre of the sky, casting a dim white light over the earth beneath it. From where Daphne was standing, she could see the graveyard. In the darkness of the night, with a thick, smoky grey fog surrounding it, looked particularly creepy.

Not wanting to look at that eerie place for another second, Daphne turned away from the window, only to be greeted by the sight of Seamus standing in the doorway, his face illuminated by a lantern he held in his hand.

Daphne gave a startled cry. "Jeepers, you scared me! What are you doing here?"

"Patrollin' the halls, lass" Seamus answered. "Te' make sure no-one else goes missin' tonight. Ye really shouldn't be out at this hour, ye know, what with all that's been goin' on. Ye'd better get back te yer room."

"That's exactly what I was going to do" Daphne replied. She edged her way past Seamus and left the room. She literally only made it three steps before Seamus said something that stopped her in her tracks.

"Ye look just like her."

Daphne froze and turned back to Seamus, confusion furrowing her brow. "Who?"

"Sophie Kavanagh. The girl I told ye and yer friends about." He moved closer towards her. "There's somethin' I didn't tell ye about that O'Reilly fellow, mainly out of fear that none of ye would believe me." He quickly checked over his shoulder before he whispered "He's a vampire."

Daphne's blood ran cold. "A-a vampire?"

Seamus nodded. "Aye. He came back as a vampire the year after Sophie was married. He murdered her father and brother in the graveyard by drainin' them of their blood. He did the same te all those young women as well. Why do ye thing they all had puncture marks on their necks?"

Normally, Daphne would have laughed at such an idea and told the person who was telling her this that they were making it all up. But there was something about the seriousness in Seamus's tone that made her feel she had no choice but to believe him.

Seamus leaned towards her until their faces were only a breath away. Daphne resisted the urge to flinch as their noses nearly touched. "If ye and yer friends know what's good for ye, ye'll leave and never come back. This castle is a dangerous place."

Then, without another word, Seamus turned on his heel and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Daphne standing perplexed and still in the darkness. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Daphne? Daphne, wake up!"

Daphne woke the next morning to find Velma gently nudging her. With a tired groan, she swatted Velma's hands away. "Knock it off, Velm. I'm up" she said as she sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

Velma stood by Daphne's bedside, placed her hands on her hips and scowled at her. "Well, it's about time!"

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked. "What time is it?"

"Nearly eleven o'clock."

"ELEVEN?!" Daphne was so surprised, she tumbled out of bed and landed on the floor with a bump. She didn't usually sleep this late. Even on weekends, she was known to rise early. It seemed that little hike around the castle last night had done the trick. She quickly began rushing round the room, throwing on her clothes without really paying attention and getting frustrated when she somehow got her dress on upside down. Luckily, Velma came to her rescue and soon Daphne was clothed and ready to go.

"Ye girls took yer time" Ruth said when Daphne and Velma reached the dining hall where she and the boys were waiting.

"Daphne slept late" Velma told her.

Ruth sighed. "Well, lucky for ye two, the kitchen staff were willing te put some food aside so that ye wouldn't go hungry this morning."

The girls gratefully devoured their breakfast along with the rest of the gang, talking in between bites. Since Ruth hadn't been with them yesterday, the gang told her all that they had found out while she made comments of "how strange" and "that is weird". After they were done, Daphne proceeded to explain why she had slept late. She told them how she'd had trouble getting to sleep last night, so had gone for a walk around the castle, ending up at the library. She spoke of her unexpected encounter with Seamus and his weird claim that she looked like Sophie Kavanagh and then went on his way as if nothing had happened. When Daphne finished her story, everyone was staring at her in surprised silence.

"Pay him no mind. Seamus likes te scare people" Ruth assured her cousin. "Besides, how would he know what Sophie looked like?"

"Like, maybe he saw a painting of her and mistook Daphne for a likeness?" Shaggy suggested. Ruth fell silent. She hadn't thought of that.

Velma stared at Shaggy in an almost impressed look on her face. "Shaggy, that might just be the smartest thing you've said since we got here."

Shaggy beamed with pride. "Aw, shucks Velm, you're too kind."

"When you're done flirting" Fred deadpanned. "Are there any paintings in the castle of Sophie Kavanagh?" he asked, looking at Ruth.

"I think so. Why?"

"I think it might be useful if we did a little research on the Kavanagh family."

Daphne shook her head. "Well we can try but I doubt we'll find much. I tried doing some research on the Kavanaghs in the library last night but what I found out was nothing we haven't already been told."

"Why do you even want to find out about the Kavanagh's family history?" Velma asked. "How will that help with our investigation?"

"I was just thinking: if we can find anything on the Kavanagh family with some kind of connection to what Seamus and the guests told us, like diaries or something like that, we might be able to get more of an idea as to who or what is behind these murders" Fred explained.

Velma frowned. "I hope you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting."

"Why? What do you think I'm suggesting?"

"That the spirit of Emmet O'Reilly has something to do with the murders." With that, Velma rose from her seat. "Because if you're going to waste your time chasing after something that doesn't exist, then I want nothing to do with it."

Velma turned to leave when Daphne jumped up and grabbed her wrist. "Oh, no you don't!" Daphne uttered through gritted teeth in a tone they had never heard from her before. "You are _not_ running off again. We got here together, we started this investigation together and, god-freaking-dammit, we're gonna finish it together! I don't care how stupid you think this idea is. You are coming with us whether you want to or not, capiche? Now, sit the hell down and eat your goddam breakfast before it goes cold!"

Normally, Velma would have bad-mouthed the fool that dared speak to her in such a way. But Daphne had spoken so sternly that Velma felt she had no choice but to obey so she meekly sat down and didn't utter another word. Meanwhile, the others stared at the two girls in surprise. They had never known Daphne to speak to anyone that way, especially to Velma, nor had they ever heard her use so many obscenities (or any at all really). It was almost scary.

Ruth gently nudged Shaggy who was sitting next to her. "Remind me never te make her angry."


	8. Chapter 8

At the request of the gang, Ruth took them to see the rooms that had belonged to Sophie and Andrew Kavanagh. Ruth was, at first, a little reluctant to allow them to view these particular rooms, mainly for fear of prying into the private lives of her long-ago deceased ancestors, as well as the fact that she had been given instructions for the rooms to remain "sacrosanct". But the gang kept persisting until she finally relented. The rooms were unlocked and the gang proceeded to investigate.

The two bedrooms were, quite possibly, the grandest ones they had seen yet. The walls were painted cream and sky-blue with four-poster beds covered by crisp white sheets and thick satin quilts, solid oak furniture and the finest damask curtains covering the windows. Added to that, the windows provided an awe-inspiring view of the surrounding land. Once Ruth established the ground rules of making sure they kept the rooms clean and tidy, and that she be allowed to supervise in order to ensure this, the gang was permitted to search the rooms. Velma and Daphne searched Sophie's room while Fred, Shaggy and Scooby searched Andrew's room.

"Like, what is it we're looking for again, Fred?" Shaggy asked as he peered into a cabinet.

"Anything that could validate anything Seamus said" Fred replied, rummaging in a drawer. "Journals, paintings, letters, stuff like that."

"Don't ye think reading their journals crosses some sort of line?" asked Ruth.

Fred shrugged. "Maybe. But what does it matter? It's not like they can do anything about...A-ha!" he suddenly cried, making everyone jump.

Ruth's hand flew up to her heart as she gasped. "Jaysus H Christ, Fred! At least warn us if yer gonna scream the house down!"

"Sorry but I've just found something. You guys need to see this." Fred held up a red leather-bound book. The others gathered around him as he lifted the front cover to show them the first page where the name Andrew Kavanagh was written.

Shaggy raised an eyebrow. "A journal?"

"Probably" Fred replied. He flicked through the pages until he came to a passage dated July of 1815. "Listen to this guys:

 _July 20th, 1815. God, how I miss Sophie! Nothing is the same here without her. Oh, why did she have to marry that terrible Lord Beaumont?! Why couldn't Father just let her be happy with Emmet? She would have been much happier with him than that crazed, murderous rotter known as Beaumont. Oh, but what good is it blaming Father? This is all my fault, I know. My fault and no-one else's. What possessed me to take up gambling? Why couldn't I be a responsible son? Then none of this would have happened! Why, God, WHY?!"_

Everyone was a little unnerved by this and even more so as Fred continued to read. Each page seemed to consist of long, tedious entries by Andrew, saying how upset he was by the grief he had brought upon his family, how he missed Sophie and how he blamed himself. He seemed to be slowly sinking into depression with each new entry. As the journal progressed, the accounts seemed to talk more of seeing a mysterious ghostly figure hovering through the graveyard. The last of them was the strangest:

 _August 2nd, 1815. Sophie's first wedding anniversary. I hear voices outside. I am going to the graveyard tonight I fear it will be my last visit._

The remaining pages were left blank. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Shaggy said "W-what does he m-mean by last visit?"

Fred shook his head in confusion. "Your guess is as good as mine. But I'll bet it has something to do with the fact that he suddenly stopped writing."

"Hey, GUYS!" Daphne and Velma yelled, running into the room.

Ruth yelped in surprise and jumped nearly two feet off the ground. "Right, the next person te scare me like that will be murdered! I mean it!" she declared, glaring at the other two girls.

Daphne withered under Ruth's gaze. "Sorry. It's just that Velma and I have found something which we think you should see." Velma produced a silver frame and held it out to the rest of the gang. The frame held a painting showing a young red-haired woman sitting in a chair with a man standing next to her who looked older by a few years. Both of them were dressed in regency era clothing.

"It's Sophie and Andrew Kavanagh" Velma said. She then held the picture next to Daphne's face so that they were side by side. When she did this, everyone immediately noticed how similar Daphne and Sophie looked.

"They're practically twins" Fred commented.


	9. Chapter 9

Later that day, the gang retired to the library to discuss what they had found. Ruth had had to go into the nearby village for a while, saying she had gotten a call from some of her friends who wanted to meet her. So, once again, they were forced to continue alone.

It turned out Andrew hadn't been the only one of the Kavanagh siblings to keep a journal. Sophie also possessed a diary which contained several passages where she proclaimed her undying love for Emmet and how much she hated Lord Beaumont. Like Andrew's, her journal ended suddenly with the last entry talking about how she and Emmet planned to run away together. There was nothing but blank pages after that. Velma and Daphne had also found a number of love letters addressed to Sophie from Emmet which Daphne offered to read aloud but was quickly put off the idea when she realised how openly saucy they were. Fred read out the few passages from Andrew's journal which spoke of the strange voices and the ghostly figures and his grieving for Sophie.

Afterwards, they each began coming up with different theories as to what they could mean.

"Maybe Andrew became depressed after Sophie left?" Velma suggested. "That would explain why he heard voices and claimed to see ghostly figures. It's not uncommon for people with depression to hallucinate."

"Like, how do you know that, Velm?" Shaggy asked.

"When I was 14, I wanted to be a psychologist and did a lot of reading on symptoms and stages of different mental health conditions" Velma explained.

"Well, that's...um...enlightening" Daphne said.

"My guess is that Emmet and Sophie weren't really in love at all" Fred theorised. "Think about it. Sophie was the daughter of a rich aristocrat. Emmet was a poor country boy whose family could barely afford the rent. He was probably aware that Sophie hated Lord Beaumont and so used it to his advantage. Maybe Sophie was promised a share of her father's fortune and Emmet got wind of this and tricked Sophie into thinking they were in a relationship in the hopes of eventually killing her and taking the money for himself. That could be why Beaumont killed him. He suspected that Emmet was trying to take advantage of the girl and was just protecting her."

This theory seemed plausible, until Velma spoke up. "Even if that's true, I doubt Emmet would have tried to kill her because of an inheritance. Don't forget, the family was on the brink of poverty, due to Andrew's wild spending habits. If there was any money promised to the Kavanagh siblings, it was likely to be a small sum." Velma paused and sighed. "But, even so, I still don't see what any of this has to do with the murder mystery we're _SUPPOSED_ to be investigating!"

"Well, if Sophie and Andrew and Emmet really did exist, perhaps there is some truth to Seamus's story after all" Fred reasoned.

Velma narrowed her eyes. "Fred Jones, if you are going where I think you're going with this, you'd better have a good injury lawyer."

Fred withered under her gaze and sighed. "Oh, never mind" he said, flopping back into his chair.

A heavy silence followed, during which time Shaggy pulled out his phone and began playing around with it. After a few minutes, Shaggy frowned at the screen and murmured "Huh. That's weird."

The others turned to face him and asked what he meant by that. In response, Shaggy turned the phone around so that the screen was facing them. The icon that was usually at the top of the screen to indicate there was a signal was gone. A small message reading **_No Service_** had replaced it. At first, nobody could understand what Shaggy was getting at.

"Like, don't ya see?" he said. "If there's no service, like, that means there's no chance of being able to answer incoming calls. And, like, Ruth said her friends had called her earlier, asking her to go down to the village. But how could she take the call when there's NO SERVICE?!"

At once, they all understood and agreed that it was indeed weird. But why would Ruth pretend to be going to meet friends? What did she have to hide? And if she wasn't in town, then where was she?

Daphne wasn't privy to this little find as she had drifted over to the far end of the library where the bookshelves were shortly after Fred apparently gave up on his vampire theory. She was browsing the shelves, now certain that in daylight she would be more successful in her search for a book containing some useful information. She had just set her sights on a volume that looked promising and tried to pull it from the shelf. But, when she did, the entire section of the shelves suddenly and very unexpectedly turned a full 90 degrees to the left, causing Daphne to scream as she stumbled forward and fell face-first into the dark, empty space behind the shelves.

The rest of the gang heard Daphne's scream and instinctively turned in her direction to see what was wrong. But when they did, Daphne was nowhere to be seen.


	10. Chapter 10

For a moment, Daphne thought she has suddenly gone blind, though she couldn't imagine how. The space she stood in was so dark, she couldn't have told the difference if her eyes were closed. It was cold as well. Daphne shivered as she was hit by an overpowering jet of cold, musty air. She put out a trembling hand in front of her face but, despite the fact that her skin was naturally pearly, it was barely visible in the darkness. She called out, hoping to get an answer but the only one she caught was that of her own voice as it echoed back at her. She turned around and tried pushing on the bookshelves behind her to try and get them open but they wouldn't budge. Great. How was she supposed to get out of here now?

That's when she remembered her phone. Fumbling in her pockets, Daphne prayed she had it on her and sighed disappointedly when she found both of her pockets were empty. She must've left her phone in her room. She would just have to find a way out. If there was one.

Stretching both arms out before her to avoid bumping into anything, Daphne made her way slowly into the darkness. After feeling around on the walls at her sides for a short while, she was able to navigate her way through what appeared to be a long passageway. The passage eventually ended at a large wall of wood in front of her. Upon further inspection, Daphne discovered it was actually a door. When this information processed in her brain, she decided to try her luck and pushed on it with both of her hands. To her delight, it swung open and Daphne eagerly rushed forward but, when she entered the room that the door led into, her heart sank.

The first thing that caught Daphne's eye was Seamus sitting in a corner of the room, bound and gagged. She stood there, staring at him for roughly one second before she ran to Seamus and untied him. "Seamus, what happened? How did you get in here?" she enquired as she gazed around at the room they were in.

The room, although fairly large, was dank and dim. The only source of illumination came from the few candles. The walls were bare, grey, mould-covered stone and cobwebs infested every corner of the ceiling. The place was twice as cold as the passageway, as if it had recently been used as an ice house. There were several shelves hanging on the walls, containing books with interesting titles: _How to communicate with spirits, The art of hypnosis_ and _Vampire folklore._ There was also a small round table with two chairs and on it was a small painting of Sophie Kavanagh and a pocket watch on a long chain. The room gave off a very unnerving vibe that made Daphne want to turn around and run straight back into that dark, spooky passageway. But she couldn't leave Seamus here.

As Daphne untied Seamus and removed his gag, he gasped for air and said quickly "What are ye doin' here, lass? It's not safe! Ye need te get out of here, now!"

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked.

"There's no time te explain" Seamus replied, his voice urgent. "I'm serious! Ye need te go!"

Daphne shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving without..." She didn't get to finish her sentence as she suddenly felt something heavy hit her on the head. Then she blacked out.

Daphne woke up an hour later, still in the same room. The first thing she noticed was that she was tied to a chair at the table and that Seamus was now gone. He must have gotten away. A figure in a hooded cloak was sitting across from her. The sight of the figure instantly gave Daphne a feeling of unease and she struggled furiously against her bonds. "Who are you?!" she demanded. "What do you want with me?!"

The figure lifted the hood of its cloak to reveal the face of the person wearing it and Daphne couldn't believe who it was.

"Ruth?"

Her cousin nodded. "Hello, Daphne. I daresay yer surprised."

Surprised was an understatement. Daphne could barely speak. "Ruth, what's going on? What is this place? Is it yours? What is it even doing here?"

"So many questions" Ruth sighed, shaking her head. "If I were you, I'd save me breath. Although, I guess ye have a right te know. First of all, yes, this room is mine. I discovered it a while ago. There's a way te access it through a secret tunnel hidden in the library, but I guess ye already know that. I've been using this place for me own investigation purposes."

"W-what do you mean investigation."

"Well, I guess ye wouldn't really call it that but I don't think there's any appropriate name for it. The point is, I had te keep it a secret. That's why I tied up Seamus and kept him imprisoned here; I couldn't have him blabbing te ye and yer friends."

Daphne could hardly believe her ears. "But...but why?"

"I don't really know how te tell ye this, Daphne." Ruth paused. "I guess there's no other way te say it. I'll just be straight with ye. Ye see, I thought opening this castle as a hotel would be a great money-making scheme. Of course, I didn't find out about the vampire until _after_ it was opened te the public. Guests would flee in the night, claiming they had seen a vampire in their rooms. So I decided te take matters inte me own hands. I learnt how te contact the dead and used me skills te contact the vampire that was haunting the place. I found out it was Emmet O'Reilly, looking for his long-lost Sophie. I made a deal with him. I said if I could reunite him with Sophie, he had te leave. I also told him that until I found his Sophie, he would have te stay in the graveyard. He was stubborn at first but he eventually relented. As more guests started coming here, I used the picture of Sophie te which women be possible victims. I studied hypnosis and used it te make them go out te the graveyard where Emmet would be waiting. Unfortunately, Emmet didn't like any of the women I sent his way and killed them."

"What have I got to do with any of this?" Daphne asked.

"Remember when ye and Velma found that other picture of Sophie and how ye and her happened te look alike? Well, it turns out Emmet has also found this out and he wants ye te...basically be Sophie."

A horrible feeling curled up in Daphne's gut. "Are you saying I'm going to...be sacrificed to a vampire?"

Ruth nodded solemnly. "Pretty much."

Daphne thought she was going to pass out from fear. "If this is a joke, it's not funny!"

"I only wish it was, Daphne."

"Ruth, please, you can't do this! The others will wonder where I am!"

Ruth rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Ye forget, Daphne. I know about hypnosis. I need only hypnotise them inte forgetting ye and it'll be like ye never existed for them. Believe me Daphne, I'm no more happy about this than ye are but needs must when ye have a business te run."

Daphne felt as if she was going to throw up. Ruth, her own cousin, was going to sacrifice her to a vampire and then erase her existence! In a few hours, she would be dead and gone and nobody would even remember her.


	11. Chapter 11

While this was going on, Fred, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby were frantically looking for Daphne, wondering where the dickens she could have gone. There weren't many places to hide in the library so that ruled that place out. But there were a million other places in the castle that Daphne could have gone and they didn't even know where to start searching. And why would she leave so suddenly?

"She'd have to have moved faster than a lightning bolt to leave without us noticing" Velma pointed out. "She couldn't have been here more than two seconds ago."

"Why did she run off in such a hurry anyway?" Fred wondered out loud.

"Hey, like, maybe Scoob can sniff her out" Shaggy suggested jokingly. "How 'bout it, Scoob? Like, fancy being a bloodhound?" Scooby frowned at Shaggy and gave a soft growl.

"Shaggy, this is no time for joking around!" Velma scolded. "Daphne is missing and the only way we'll find her is if we cover this entire castle and don't stop looking until we've restored her to...well, us."

Fred stared at her. "Who died and put you in charge?"

"No-one," Velma replied, "but we might very well soon have a dead person on our hands if we don't take action quickly!"

It was decided that they would start by splitting into two separate groups and searching the entire wing of the castle they were currently in. Fred was paired with Shaggy and Velma with Scooby so that he and Shaggy wouldn't get distracted and find an excuse to go down to the kitchen. After an hour, both groups returned to the library, neither having found Daphne. Suddenly, Seamus burst through the door to the library, giving them a fright. Sweat trickled down his forehead and he panted heavily. He had clearly ran here from wherever he had come.

"Seamus, what's wrong? What are you doing here?" asked Velma.

After taking a moment to regain his composure, he replied "Ye kids have te come quick. Ruth has got yer friend Daphne. She's goin' te kill her!"

"Kill her?!" Scooby parroted, trembling in shock.

"Why would Ruth do that to her cousin?" asked Velma in alarm.

"It's a long story" Seamus said. "I'll explain later. What matters right now is that Daphne is in danger and if we don't act fast she could very well die tenight! Now listen, here's what we need te do..."

Soon night arrived and Daphne was forced to make the journey down to the graveyard with Ruth. She was almost crying. In a few minutes she would be dead. And at the hands of her own cousin, no less! _With relatives like that, who needs enemies?!_ She thought bitterly. She knew it would be useless to resist and plead for mercy as her efforts would be in vain. All she could do was meekly submit to Ruth's will and pray for a quick death.

Ruth led Daphne outside into the darkness. When they entered the graveyard, Ruth tied her to the railings so that she wouldn't try to escape. A long, agonising silence followed in which Daphne was forced to remain seated on the damp ground in an uncomfortable position and Ruth stood nearby, surveying the land, seemingly waiting for something. Daphne soon found out what for when a mass of fog began to form a short distance away from them. The fog moved to form the shape of a man which slowly walked towards them and as he did so, his features came into focus. He was a very pale man with coal-black hair that stood on end and blue eyes so bright they were almost grey. He approached Ruth who seemed to grow frightened at his advance but made no sign of running away. This, Daphne assumed, must be Emmet O'Reilly.

"I have truly found her this time" Ruth said to him. "Ye can see for yerself. She's right here" she added, gesturing to Daphne.

When Emmet's eyes fell on Daphne, his mouth twisted into something that resembled a smile. He walked towards her and knelt on the ground beside her, examining her closely. "This is Sophie, alright" he said an a hoarse voice that sent shivers down her spine.

"No!" Daphne cried, finally finding her voice. "There's been a mistake! I'm not Sophie Kavanagh! She died long before my time! I can't be her! I WON'T be!"

"Shhhh" Emmet whispered, pressing an ice-cold finger to her lips. "I have spent centuries waitin' for ye, my love. Now, at last, we shall be tegether forever." He grinned at Daphne, showing a set of sharp fangs, and moved his head down towards her neck. Daphne closed her eyes. This was it.

The trio were suddenly startled by a loud cry of "NO!" followed by that of "Get away from her!" Daphne's eyes snapped back open at once. She recognised that voice. It was Fred!

Turning around to face the entrance of the graveyard, she saw Fred, Velma, Shaggy, Scooby and Seamus sprinting towards them. Daphne felt tears of joy welling up in her eyes. Seamus must have alerted the others as to what was going on. She instantly felt a pang of guilt for ever thinking ill of him.

Emmet shrieked deafeningly as he caught sight of a large object Seamus clutched between his hands which he held up towards the spirit. It was a crucifix, roughly the size of his face. The sight of it frightened Emmet and made him shrink back in terror. "Be gone, creature of darkness!" Seamus commanded. "Ye have no business here in the mortal realm! Leave at once!"

Emmet gave a fierce hiss and backed away. Ruth glared at Seamus and ran towards him, intent on tearing the crucifix out of his hand but Scooby caught the hem of her jeans between his teeth, acting as a distraction so that Fred and Shaggy could restrain her. Velma rushed to untie Daphne and helped her up from the ground.

"Velma, the holy water, now!" Seamus yelled.

From the pocket of her skirt, Velma pulled a small white bottle adorned with a gold cross. She removed the cap and tossed the contents in Emmet's direction. Every single drop of the water hit Emmet's skin, causing him to scream in agony. A sound like that of a sizzling pan emanated from his body as smoke billowed from his arms and legs. Then, to everyone's surprise, Emmet burst into flames that seared his body, transforming him into a pile of ashes on the ground that were picked up by the wind and scattered into the distance.

All Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, Scooby, Seamus and Ruth could do was watch in stunned silence. 


	12. Chapter 12

The next few weeks passed by in a flurry of police reports, trials and all sorts of other investigation rigmarole. The castle was closed to the public, forcing the few guests still staying there to find another hotel to stay at. Although a little disgruntled at the thought of the stress this would bring, they were more than happy to leave after hearing about what had gone down with the Mystery Inc. gang that night in the graveyard. The case was broadcasted all over Ireland and reporters eagerly told of how the gang had finally put an end to the killing spree of Kavanagh castle, advertising them as heroes which, in the eyes of the public, couldn't have been closer to the truth.

Ruth confessed to being the one responsible for the deaths of all the women who had been killed at Kavanagh castle. She was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison, though Fred, Velma and Shaggy all confided in each other that the sentence was far less than she deserved after what she had done.

To say that Daphne was traumatised was an understatement. For several days after the night in the graveyard, she had reoccurring nightmares in which she would be haunted by the memory of Emmet O'Reilly and how she had nearly died. She was also severely rattled by the fact that Ruth would even dream of doing such a thing. However, the rest of the gang were all comforting and supportive and she eventually returned to her old self. A few times Daphne considered contacting Ruth (after all, they had been thick as thieves in childhood) but she quickly gave up on the idea because, as she had said before, "with a cousin like that who needs enemies?".

Seamus became a treasured acquaintance to the gang in those few weeks. They all thanked him profusely for saving Daphne, to which he modestly replied "It was nothing". As they got to know Seamus better, they all realised that he wasn't nearly as intimidating as they had originally thought. In fact, he was a very sweet man. He went out of his way to make the gang's last few days in Ireland memorable and when the time finally came for the gang to leave, he accompanied them to the airport and they all promised to keep in touch.

It was good to return to America again and settle back into their normal routines. Although they were also a little saddened by this as well. They had enjoyed reviving their roles as mystery solvers as they had almost forgotten what that was like. Even Shaggy and Scooby started to miss the spookiness that usually chilled them to the bone and they all wondered when they would get the chance to solve another mystery.

They didn't have to wonder long, however. Less than two weeks after coming home, they received a phone call one evening which Fred answered. When he hung up the phone, he was notably more cheerful.

"That was the head tour guide at the Myrtles Plantation" he said. "A mysterious ghost has started haunting the place and she thinks it's someone trying to scare of the tourists. She saw the report on our case at Kavanagh castle and she's asked if we'll consider doing an investigation on the haunting at the plantation."

The others exchanged glances, then looked back at Fred.

"A chance to examine ghosts again? How could I say no?!" Daphne cried excitedly. "You can count me in!"

"Like, you can count me and Scoob in as well!" Shaggy declared.

"Reah, count me in" Scooby said. "What about you, Velma?"

But Velma wasn't listening. She was lost in deep thought. It seemed that most, if not all, of the mysteries they had solved over the years had something to do with ghosts. This gave her an idea. Maybe, just maybe, they could put their knowledge of ghost activity to better use in the form of paranormal investigation, just like Ed and Lorraine Warren.

It was worth a try, wasn't it?


End file.
